Wanderlust
by Red-Eyed Ryuu
Summary: Danny groaned as he slowly became aware of the world around him. His head throbbed and his body ached. His eyes, clenched shut, slowly fluttered open. He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light, minimal as it was. The first thing Danny realized was that he was laying face first on cold, hard ground and that stone surrounded him.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.

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**Wanderlust:** Chapter 1 | **Location:** Unknown | **Date:** Unknown

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Danny groaned as he slowly became aware of the world around him. His head throbbed and his body ached. His eyes, clenched shut, slowly fluttered open. He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the light, minimal as it was.

The first thing Danny realized was that he was laying face first on cold, hard ground and that stone surrounded him; was he in some kind of corridor? With a grunt Danny propped himself up on his arms and took a moment to better survey his surroundings.

"What is this place, some kind of castle?" He quietly muttered to himself as his eyes trailed up and down the walls, down the corridor before and behind him, then above him, before finally resting at the space where his palms held him up. "What…" Danny breathed out, the exclamation barely audible.

There, sandwiched between his right palm and the floor, was a crumpled, torn piece of parchment. It was just slightly larger than his hand, Danny noted. The halfa furrowed his brows at it, confused at what it could be. Danny stared at it a good few seconds, there beneath his hand, before he eventually righted himself into a cross-legged sitting position, grasping the thick paper with him as he did so.

Reflexively, Danny ran a dirtied hand through his dark black hair as he stared at the fragment, trying to place what it was. He flattened it out the best he could against his leg and inspected it closer. One side was void of anything save the white of the parchment, while the other was predominately a mixture of swirling light and dark greens. There also appeared to be an underlying grid pattern across the piece of parchment…

_Oh… _Danny's icy blue eyes widened, his mind alit with recognition,_ OH!_ He knew what this was! It was "The Infi-map!" Danny exclaimed as he leaned forward and stared intensely at the fragment of the infamous item, now clutched tightly between both of his hands. And yet, Danny frowned, the jubilation of having solved the mystery dropping from his face entirely.

With the recognition of the map came the recollection of what had led to its – and Danny's – current state.

Danny let his hands drop loosely into his lap as he took another look about him. "I'd better figure out where I am first," he affirmed, "and then work out how to get back." With a slight nod to himself, Danny picked himself up from the ground, dusting off his jeans as he stood. He started forward, idly rolling up the fragment as he did, before placing it in his pocket – he wouldn't want to be losing it anytime soon.

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_AN: I was going to write more, but this felt like a more natural place to stop the chapter._

_This is loosely based around a story concept I've been mulling over for a few months now. I say loosely because_ _this is mainly just a spur of the moment kind of thing; just writing as the ideas come, with nothing really planned out as of now. I honestly don't know how often this will be updated. Probably sporadically, as more ideas come to me, or when inspiration hits. So please bear that in mind, and thank you for reading!_

_I end this chapter with a question: Who do you see Danny meeting first?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.

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**Wanderlust:** Chapter 2 | **Location:** Unknown | **Date:** Unknown

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It wasn't long before Danny came to the assumption that he really _was_ in a castle. All the stone and medieval décor kind of accentuated that fact. _At least it's not decorated in tacky green and gold_, he thought to himself with a chuckle.

The halfa surmised that he was probably underground, having yet to run across any sort of window or natural lighting, as the walls were lined with torches. With that in mind, Danny made sure to take every staircase he came across that lead up, avoiding those that threatened to take him further into the bowels of this stone cold place.

How long would it be before he would find someone though? The mere fact that he had yet to see a soul was slightly unsettling; this place wasn't abandoned, was it? No, it couldn't be, not with all the lit torches on the walls…

The thought had occurred to Danny on more than one occasion that he should perhaps shift to his ghostly persona – that it would make finding a way out, or someone to question, that much easier – but admittedly, the ghost boy was enjoying himself, and where would the fun be if he so heavily relied on his ghostly powers all the time? Sure the dungeon-esque local was a bit disconcerting, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Besides, this place actually seemed oddly welcoming, in spite of its appearance. Especially when Danny compared it to say… Pariah's castle. Or even Vlad's for that matter.

As Danny pondered where in the world he might be (Europe maybe? They've got a lot of castles right?), he hoped he hadn't managed to actually land himself in medieval times. If what he remembered from history class, and what Sam would often regale to him of the period, was right, Danny most likely wouldn't be meeting with a very welcoming bunch. Especially not dressed the way he was. Absentmindedly, Danny patted his pocket, finding reassurance at the slight bump he felt beneath the denim of his jeans. He could only hope his luck would hold out at least that far.

Eventually – he wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed since he first awoke and began his exploration – Danny found himself walking along a corridor lit by tall torches held against the walls. Columns lined either side, appearing as if they had been carved from the very stone in which they lay; arches inlaid along their peaks, framing the ceiling. Danny noted that at the end of the hall a junction formed. He could either proceed left or right once he reached it.

He wasn't exactly sure why, but this particular stretch of corridor, unlike the ones he had previously passed through, gave him a sort of foreboding, gloomy kind of feeling…

Perhaps it was just the atmosphere finally getting to him? Yeah, that was probably it.

"You're fine, Fenton. Nothing's gonna pop up that you can't handle." Danny told himself as he took a few cautious steps forward, his hand absentmindedly running along the wall as he passed. "It's not like some vicious, grotesque monster's waiting to rip your guts out once you round the corner." Danny paused abruptly and scrunched his face up at that thought. "Wow, okay, way to make yourself feel better…" Danny muttered to himself as he brought a palm to his face, then shook his head in an effort to clear his wandering mind, before proceeding forward once more. _Dude, stop trying to freak yourself out, _he mentally chided himself.

It was just as Danny made it a little over halfway through the corridor when he thought he heard something.

Were those… footsteps?

Danny stopped and listened.

Sure enough, the halls echoed with a dull _tap, tap, tap_; the undeniable sounds of footfalls.

The muscles in Danny's body tensed reflexively as he prepared to face whoever it was making their way towards him. _Finally_, Danny thought to himself,_ it's about time someone showed their face around here! _He could only hope whoever it was wouldn't freak out on him.

It wasn't long before Danny spotted a tall, pale man with dark hair round the corner. As he noted the guy's clothing – some kind of flowing black robe – Danny felt his stomach sink. He didn't _look_ like he was dressed in contemporary clothing…

Without the entirety of the Infi-map to point him towards the nearest portal to the Ghost Zone, Danny wasn't sure how easily he could make it in a time not his own. He found himself hoping this guy just happened to like dressing in period clothing or something. Danny brushed his hand against his pocket once more, checking to make sure the rolled up fragment of the map was still there, as well as a means to calm himself.

_Well, here goes nothing… _the teen thought to himself as he swallowed hard, taking a moment to better quell his nerves. He'd worry about finding a portal later, after he managed to pinpoint his current whereabouts.

Danny called out to the man, a hand extended and waving to catch his attention. "Excuse me!" The ravenette hurriedly started towards the robed man, "Hey, Sir! Can you tell me where I am?"

The guy stopped when he heard Danny call out to him, a puzzled expression crossing his face as he caught sight of the nearing boy. It quickly turned to a scowl however, his face upturning as if he'd just smelled something unpleasant.

"Surely you are aware of the fact that you are in the dungeons of Hogwarts." The man drawled, still giving Danny that contemptuous sneer. The ghost boy chose to overlook it. For now, getting answers took precedence – and hey, at least the guy wasn't freaking on him, right?

"Hogwarts?" Danny laughed jovially, "What kind of name is Hogwarts?" He missed the disdainful look the man shot him. "Seriously, dude? I've never heard of a place with a more ridiculous name," Danny absently remarked as he ran a hand over the back of his neck, up through his hair, then back down. "And where's this '_Hogwarts_'-" Danny air quoted "-supposed to be?" Though judging from the guy's accent, Danny had a sneaking suspicion that his initial guess hadn't been too far off the mark.

The man didn't answer, instead electing to stare hard at the boy. Danny thought it looked as if he was mulling something over.

The halfa shifted his weight between his feet under the man's scrutinizing gaze, suddenly more uncomfortable than he had been throughout the entirety of his earlier exploration. Maybe he shouldn't have joked so lightly about the name of this place? _…Nah, it's just too funny_. But the longer Danny watched the man, the more he regretted not having handled his introduction in a more smooth and downplayed manner.

As he toiled over his own thoughts, waiting for the strange man clad in black to say something, Danny began to ponder whether he should chance saying something else. Distracted by those thoughts, Danny barely caught sight of the guy pulling something from his robes. _Is that a stick?_ Danny thought incredulously. _What the heck's he gonna do with a _stick_?_ No sooner had that thought crossed Danny's mind then did a jet of red light shoot towards him.

"WHOA!" Danny cried, barely dodging the blast. So much for a warm welcome. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?!" He shouted angrily, a contemptuous glare of his own aimed at the now hostile figure. Danny didn't know what would have happened if that blast had hit him, but he'd been attacked by more than enough things in his life to know not to take unnecessary risks. "Dude, all I asked was a simple question!"

"And that itself is rather suspicious." The man drawled heatedly as he pointed his stick (a wand?) at Danny once more. Not a second later, yet another jet of red light flew from the tip of it and towards the teen; Danny swiftly dodged. "You clearly are not a student here," Robbed Guy said with a glare – did he _ever_ make any other kind of expression? "Who are you, and how have you managed to gain entrance to the school?"

Danny blanched. This place was a _school_? What the heck kind of school was this? Did that make this guy a _teacher_? And here Danny had thought Mr. Lancer was bad, but this guy – if he really was a teacher – definitely took the cake… and then some!

The young ravenette's mind was whirling – just where in the heck had the Infi-map landed him?

"Look," Danny dodged yet another jet of light, this one a bit more orange than red, "I'm sorry if I offended you or something, but I'm honestly just lost and looking for a way home."

"Somehow, I doubt that." The man retorted as the tip of his stick… wand… whatever it was, lit up with a flash. He pointed it at Danny once more, and the halfa readied himself to doge another stream of light. …only he didn't see anything fly out at him. Had the guy decided to stop his attacks, whatever they were?

Suddenly, Danny felt his equilibrium shift, as if the world was tilting. He quickly came to the realization that he was actually being lifted into the air. _Nope, definitely not done…_ Danny thought to himself in mild annoyance.

"Guh!" Danny grunted as he found himself suspended in midair, upside down. "What the heck… How're you doing this?" Seriously, how was this guy managing this? He looked human enough, and Danny's ghost sense hadn't been triggered, so he obviously wasn't a ghost. Was it that stick? Was it really a wand? Was this some kind of magic trick? "Would you just put me down and _listen_!" Danny practically shouted at the guy.

His words went unheeded. No surprised there.

Instead, the Robbed Guy commented that, "The Headmaster should like to hear about this." He then made some kind of motion with his wand (Danny was sure that's what it was) and the halfa started to move, still suspended in midair, towards him.

Danny's arms pinwheeled as he vainly tried to right himself. He groaned, frustration obvious on his face. He just couldn't catch a break, could he?

"Stupid map…" He grumbled under his breath.

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_AN: Whelp, you sure called it, **1eragon33**._

_So there was chapter two, I hope you all enjoyed it. If you want, feel free to let me know what you thought of it in a review._

___How did you feel about Snape's reaction? Or Danny's for that matter? I'll admit I'm still working to get a handle on writing these characters, so there will most likely be a lot of OOCness initially. I hope you'll bear with me._ I felt that Snape, cautious as he is, would be quick on the draw if he were to come across some unknown individual snooping around the school, regardless of their age or appearance. I also just really liked the idea of Danny getting stuck in an awkward situation. = 7=

_Did this chapter answer your question, **Alyss Penedo**? If not, I suppose the next one might do a better job of that._

_For those wondering, I do have an idea of where in the HP timeline this takes place, so that will be addressed in coming chapters._

_Thank you to everyone that read, reviewed, favorited, and/or followed last chapter, as well anyone who read this one! I'm writing this mostly to entertain myself, so it's nice to know that there are people out there who actually enjoy this._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.

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**Wanderlust:** Chapter 3 | **Location:** Hogwarts | **Date:** Unknown

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_This is so stupid!_ Danny thought to himself with a scowl. _I'm kind of regretting not going ghost and just flying out of that dungeon right about now... _

Danny sank lower in the plush leather chair he was presently seated in with a pout. His arms were crossed over his chest, his icy blue eyes glaring contemptuously at the man who had brought him here. Said man returned the look with one of his own. Needless to say, Danny very much looked the part of the brooding teenager that he was.

Robed Guy, who Danny had since learned went by the name of Severus Snape and was in fact a teacher (Professor, whatever) at this ancient looking school, had humiliatingly paraded the halfa around the vast hallways and staircases of Hogwarts. Danny had made the remark on more than one occasion that he could walk, that his legs weren't broken, but anything he had said fell on deaf ears. The only thing the teen had even caught the man say during their entire trek was something about Danny reminding him of an annoying pot or whatnot, whatever that had meant.

The ravenette could only thank the stars that no one had been around to witness that embarrassing situation. He had no doubt that if Sam and Tucker had seen him like that, they wouldn't have held back on giving him grief.

Sure, Danny had entertained the thought of going ghost to escape from the odd, invisible, possibly magical confinement, but that would entail revealing himself for what he was. That was something Danny wasn't ready to fess up just yet, not when he knew so little of the situation he had landed himself in. Besides, there was no guarantee that going ghost wouldn't still leave him bound by whatever invisible force had been restraining him. He could be smart and logical, taking the time to think things through, when he wanted. He might not always do so, and he could act rashly from time to time (more like nine times out of ten), but Danny _did_ have his more enlightened moments, rare as they may be.

So it went that Danny, arms crossed in much the same way they were now, had floated upside down alongside the robed man as he had led the way to their current location (the Headmaster's office, apparently). Danny had assumed this "Headmaster" was probably akin to something like the principal, but he wasn't entirely positive.

Sparing a glance at the wizened man before him, who had introduced himself as 'Albus something something Dumbledore', Danny couldn't help but think how old the man looked. And yet, Danny noted, the man's blue eyes – piercing as they were – held this odd twinkle about them. Intriguingly, the halfa couldn't help but think that with the robe and long, trailing beard, the guy's appearance was rather reminiscent of Clockwork's elderly persona. He didn't know whether to laugh or cringe at that thought. So instead, Danny rather elected to continue his brooding, his gaze shifting about the room, over the curiously animated pictures of slumbering people, over miscellaneous bobbles and knickknacks, and finally landing on a scarlet bird that vaguely reminded Danny of a peacock.

"So, young man," Dumbledore began, that twinkle ever present in his eyes as he managed to catch Danny's less than eager gaze, "I hear that you were found snooping about the dungeons?"

Danny did not even try to contain the groan that slipped between his lips. His posture worsened – if that was even possible – to the point that if he sank any lower, he would probably slide right out of his seat and to the floor.

"I wasn't snooping." He defended, his tone exasperated as he picked himself up from his slouched position, if only slightly. "Like I told tall, dark, and greasy over there–" Danny ignored the heated glare Snape sent his way, "–I'm just lost. All I know is that I woke up lying against the floor with no idea where I was." Danny supplied as he absently ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm not here to cause any kind of trouble or anything, I just want to find my way home."

Danny paused to gauge Dumbledore's reaction. The old man didn't look upset, nor as displeased as that Snape guy did about this admittance. Danny even dared to think Dumbledore almost looked… intrigued? Amused? As if he had just gotten a hold of some sort of grand puzzle that demanded solving.

Danny furrowed his brows, confused. No, that couldn't be right… No way was he getting that right. Why didn't Dumbledore look more upset or accusatory? Danny had honestly been expecting the guy to respond in much the same manner as Snape had. The teen was too used to how he was treated back in Amity, where the adults would rarely ever listen to him, let alone give him the benefit of the doubt. He was a teenager, always up to no good, what would he know? Yet this man… how different he seemed. Refreshing as it was, Danny couldn't help but be suspicious in his own right.

_He's gotta be up to something_, Danny thought as he narrowed his eyes, his guard rising, his expression dubious. Unsettled by the old man's gaze (something just felt off when he met his eyes), Danny averted his attention back to the peacock-like creature, distracting himself with trying to discern exactly just what kind of bird it was.

Danny vaguely registered that he was frowning again. He'd been doing that a lot since running into Snape in the dungeons. The teen fought the urge to let loose an exasperated sigh.

As Danny busied himself with inspecting the crimson avian, he missed Dumbledore quirk a curious brow at him.

"Home, you say?" The man began, his tone light, "And wherever would that be?"

"Clearly not here." Danny retorted, a bit of a snarky bite to his words (he missed yet another sharp glare from Snape). Danny knew what this old guy was getting at. It wasn't surprising the bearded man was fishing for information; the halfa was genuinely surprised it hadn't come to this sooner. "And probably not anywhere nearby, either, if the whole 'tea and crumpets' English thing you guys've got goin' on here is anything to go by."

Dumbledore gave a slight smile at that remark, one which went unnoticed by Danny. He, too, had noticed the boy's accent; he was sure Snape had picked up on it as well. Dumbledore was quite sure it was American, if he was recalling it correctly. But if he was wrong, no matter; he would no doubt find the answers he sought regarding this child soon enough.

With that ever present twinkle in his eye, Dumbledore watched as Danny continued to eye his feathered friend with a scrutinizing gaze.

Although Danny wasn't too averse to letting some information slip about himself and how he'd wound up in the bowels of this "school", he wasn't about to supply anything if it wasn't clearly asked of him. It was as plain as the nose on Danny's face that there was something strange about this place, and it was that strangeness, that air of the supernatural, that lead Danny to believe he would be able to confide certain things to this man without meeting much resistance or disbelief. Besides, Danny had a few questions of his own burning at the back of his mind that were just _begging_ to be answered. He steeled himself for what he was about to propose.

Danny met Dumbledore's gaze as he leaned into the back of his chair, his inspection and classification of that strange bird could be left for another time.

"How about this," The young teen began with a slight air of smugness, "For every question you ask me – that I can give you an answer to – I get to ask one of my own? That way we can stop beating around the bush."

In a thoughtful gesture, Dumbledore stroked his beard, grasping the white tuff of hair at his chin in a loose fist and pulling his hand in a downwards motion. He repeated this action a few times as he deliberated, before replying: "Yes, I suppose that sounds fair enough." Dumbledore stopped stroking his beard and motioned to Danny with a sweeping movement of his upturned palm. "Would you like to have the honor?"

Involuntarily, Danny shrugged. "Yeah, sure, why not…" He didn't even need to ponder the first question that needed asking. "What's today's date?"

If the question caught the old man off guard, he didn't let it show. He simply stated, "It is October…"

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_AN: I honestly didn't want to end it there, leaving you all hanging, but I've been sitting on this chapter for nearly three weeks now, unable to figure out how to further execute it in a way I liked. So stopping it there and picking things up in the next chapter will probably make writing what comes next easier. Hopefully, with that in mind, I'll be able to update sooner. Granted, that's assuming I don't get too bogged down with school work and life things... So much craziness is going on right now that I can't promise anything in regards to a solid update schedule. I'm mostly writing as the inspiration comes._

_As I mentioned in the last chapter's AN, I do have it planned out when in the HP chronology this takes place; you'll be finding that out next chapter. I also do have a general idea about what I'm doing and where I'm going with this story, so fear not! This isn't entirely a work of improvisation. I'm not going to give anymore than that away, however, since that'll be taking away from the story telling. I _will_ say that I am trying my best to veer away from the direction a lot of other DP/HP crossovers take._

_With that out of the way, I'd like to thank everyone that has read, reviewed, faved, and followed this story so far! I enthusiastically read every comment I receive, whether it be constructive criticism or your general feedback! All of you awesome people make this that much more enjoyable for me. Thank you so much! I really, really appreciate it. c:_

_I do want to apologize for Snape taking the backseat in this chapter though; I wanted to give him more dialog and interaction, but anything I came up with felt really out of place or forced._

_Anyway, as always, feel free to let me know what you thought of the chapter! How were the characters? Did something feel out of place or wrong? Where in the HP timeline do _you_ think or want this will be taking place? What are you looking forward to seeing happen next?_

_*** **__To __**Guest**__ from __**9/9/13:**__ on the colors of royalty. Danny was actually referring to Vlad's castle and his choice of decorating it to the Packer's team colors: green and gold._

_*** **__To __**Guest**__ from __**9/18/13:**__ I can understand that, but for me, Danny could easily be mistaken for a student, initially. As stoic as Snape is portrayed, I felt that he would be a bit more hesitant to shoot blindly at a student within the castle. I've always felt he really does care for his students, he just kind of... goes about showing it in the wrong way. He's a socially awkward turtleduck. Once he realized that Danny wasn't a student, however, all bets were off. Regardless, thank you for your input!_

_Sorry for the overly long AN this time around. = v=;_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.

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**Wanderlust:** Chapter 4 | **Location:** Hogwarts – Dumbledore's Office | **Date:** 31 October 1993

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_Huh…_ Danny thought to himself with a bemused chuckle, _Halloween '93? Who'd've thought I was still so close to the 21__st__ century._ If Dumbledore had said something like… oh, he didn't know… like 1402 or whatever, Danny honestly would not have been surprised. But the nineties? This castle, its décor, and its inhabitants sure did a real good job of giving off that 'dated' feel, because Danny would not have guessed _anywhere_ near the 1990's in a million years. _And showing up on _Halloween_ of all days…_ Danny had to suppress another laugh at the happenstance of that. _Talk about fitting._ He shook his head lightly to clear his thoughts, though he couldn't quite rid the grin from his face.

"Don't tell me," he began with a bit of a jovial laugh, "that not only is it Halloween, but you guys are also some kind of magicians or something? That'd totally make this all the more rich." Danny had meant it as a joke, but when he saw Dumbledore nodding an affirmative ("Wizards, actually," he corrected) he froze up, taken aback. "You're kidding…" he paused to look between the bearded old man and the grouch off to the side, daring them to say something like they'd sure gotten him, fooled him good, but Danny got no such response. "You're… not kidding, are you?"

Danny absentmindedly patted at his pocket, finding reassurance in the slight bulge beneath his fingers as he tried to get a handle on his jumbled thoughts. He didn't say anything for a few minutes, giving himself a moment to let that new information sink in.

"Well, that definitely clears _something_ up." Danny eventually remarked aloud, his bright blue eyes meeting the wizened professor's. _And pretty much confirms the whole wand thing_, he finished off in his head. Despite the rather shocking revelation, the corners of the halfa's lips upturned in a grin; it was nice to have something to work with for once, no matter how little or odd it might have seemed.

"Thanks," he continued lightly, "assuming you're not lying or anything." Snape lurched forward a bit at that comment, his mouth opened in an 'o', ready to snap a retort at the teen, but Dumbledore raised a hand, effectively silencing his colleague before anything could be said. Danny chose to ignore the pointed look Snape shot his way; that guy was just way too serious.

"So I guess it's your go, then?" Danny offered, having no idea what else to say.

Dumbledore ran a wrinkled hand through his beard — definitely a gesture of thought, Danny realized — before he spoke up. "Young man, I don't believe I caught your name."

Danny faltered in his seat a bit. He hadn't expected the man to bring up something so (seemingly) insignificant. But it made sense, Danny supposed. He straightened himself before responding.

"I'm Danny," the ravenette supplied. "Guess I never did introduce myself, huh?" He questioned as he absentmindedly brought a hand to the back of his neck, running it up and down in a thoughtful gesture of his own. "Granted, I never really got the chance to..." Danny dropped his hand back to his lap as he shot a look at Snape. "Not with quick draw over there."

Snape glowered in response.

"Just Danny?" Dumbledore pressed, seemingly overlooking the nonverbal exchange going on between the boy and the professor.

"Wow, okay," Danny stumbled over his words, a bit surprised by the underlying seriousness in the Headmaster's tone. "Yeah, fine..." he continued to mutter as he shifted his less than enthusiastic gaze back towards the old man. "Fenton. Danny Fenton," he said in a deadpan. "Happy now? Or did you also maybe want the name of my old pet hamster?" The teen gave a hollow grin, "Or better yet, how about what my sister calls her stupid, raggedy old stuffed bear? 'Cuz you know, that'd be no problem at all."

Dumbledore smiled at the boy. "Only if you feel so inclined to share, Mr. Fenton."

"Honestly?" Danny scoffed, "No, not really." He lifted a hand, palm facing Dumbledore, to emphasize his point, momentarily closing his eyes with the gesture. "And just call me Danny, please."

The Headmaster nodded in acknowledgement of the request, while Snape simply continued to glare at the boy. Seriously, was that all the guy knew how to do? Danny was really beginning to wonder…

The hybrid crossed his arms and slumped back in his chair as he thought over what to ask next. Now that he had figured out _when_ he was, and had a general idea of _where_ he was, Danny figured the next step would be to find a way to the Ghost Zone and back to his present. He needed a portal. That meant he would either have to wait for another one to pop up at the school, or search one out himself. The ghost boy wasn't entirely sure how easy either option would be, considering he only had a fragmented portion of the Infi-map and no other real way to locate a portal. The Fenton portal didn't exist yet – not for another eleven years – and there was absolutely no way Danny was going to risk exposing himself to the Vlad of this time by checking to see if his nemesis had one up and running yet. Not to mention the fact that Danny had no idea of when Vlad's ghost portal had first come into being anyway. It seemed that his best bet would be to locate a spontaneous, natural one…

_Yeah, sure, sounds easy enough, _he thought to himself humorlessly.

Danny furrowed his brows and bit at his lower lip. What to do, what to do…

Frustrated, the halfa let loose a low growl. Dumbledore gave the boy a questioning look at that, tilting his head down slightly to peek over the top of his half moon spectacles. He was clearly curious to know what was frustrating this enigmatic boy, to know what he was thinking about so intensely, but Dumbledore wasn't about to force it out of him. Not when the kid was being so cooperative.

In truth, Danny just didn't know what was safe to offer to these people without it endangering his present. He had already seen the consequences of what messing with the past could bring to the timeline, thanks to Clockwork, and Danny _really_ didn't want to repeat a situation like that, nor did he have the confidence to say that Clockwork would give him the option of a do-over, should he royally mess something up.

The young ravenette scratched at his head before re-crossing his arms tightly. Would it be safe to say that he was from the future? Probably not. How about that he had never once heard of wizards and witches and any other sort of magical folk back home, outside of fiction and lore? That he'd only ever legitimately dealt with, and had proof of, ghosts…

Danny vehemently doubted it would be smart to offer up his human/ghost hybrid status, especially to people he had just met and who he had no knowledge of. Should he mention the Infi-map? No. What about the Ghost Zone? Maybe… Danny wouldn't broach that just yet though, not until he figured out how these two, at the very least, viewed spectral beings. Did they even believe in them? They had to, right? Being magical and dealing with the supernatural on a daily basis and all that…

_Oh. There we go._ It was as if a light bulb had gone off in Danny's mind. _I can work with that, _he thought to himself with a nod.

"Do you believe in ghosts?" The ravenette ventured.

"Believe in?" Dumbledore interlaced his fingers, placing his hands on his desk as he leaned forward. He replied to Danny with an endearing smile, "Why, Hogwarts is home to quite a few of them. I would even consider myself on good terms with many of our resident spirits, perhaps to go so far as call them friends. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, or Nearly Headless Nick as the students like to call him, is one such individual that comes to mind."

Danny wasn't surprised to hear that, in fact, he was elated. So they _were_ familiar with ghosts. Better yet, Hogwarts was apparently full of 'em! And the living and the dead were on good terms? Even better!

A swell of butterflies flew around in the boy's stomach, ecstatic at this turn of events.

"Have you ever heard of a place called the Ghost Zone?" Danny pressed, a small sliver of hope beginning to shine through the semi bleak situation he had managed to find himself in. If there were so many ghosts in one place, there _had_ to be a portal, right? How else could a place be so heavily saturated with the spirits of the once living? Maybe it'd be easier to find a way home than he had first thought!

Danny's hopes were quickly squashed, however, as he watched as the Headmaster shook his head no. When Dumbledore responded, "I can't say that I have, Danny," the butterflies vanished, instead replaced by a heavy weight in the pit of his gut. A shudder racked throughout his body; that was not what he had been hoping to hear.

_Seriously? No?_ Danny couldn't believe it. How could the professor not have heard of the Ghost Zone? In a place so full of spirits, surely at least one had mentioned the place… _Maybe these ghosts are more tight lipped and secretive about ghostly affairs then the ones back home?_ He tried to reason with himself, vainly holding on to what little positive thinking he had left. _Yeah… yeah, that has to be it. That just has to be it._

As Danny tried to quell his nerves and keep himself calm, he only barely registered Dumbledore addressing Snape as he asked his colleague if he had ever heard of such a place. Snape merely replied in the negative as well.

That was two strikes against Danny's hypothesis of there being an easy access to the Ghost Zone in Hogwarts. However, there was still that slight possibility that the ghosts here were simply holding out on their mortal company.

The teen swallowed hard, trying to maintain his composure. _Calm down Fenton, _he chided himself, _freaking out isn't gonna solve anything_.

"Is there any way I could speak with one of your ghosts?" Danny asked as he met Dumbledore's eyes with a pleading expression.

The teen really hoped he didn't sound as panicky as he felt. He was trying his best to stay positive, to assure himself that just because neither of the two had heard of the Ghost Zone, it didn't mean he wouldn't be able to find a way home, left stranded in a time not his own.

Dumbledore's features softened. "Severus," he turned to the broody professor garbed in black, "would you mind fetching one of the House ghosts?"

Snape looked as if he wanted to protest, but he conceded nonetheless with a simple, "Yes, Headmaster." There was a swish of his robes and a sidelong look of something dark aimed at Danny (he was never going to stop with that, was he?) before he vacated the office.

"Don't mind Severus," Dumbledore beseeched Danny, once he was sure the professor was gone, "he's not as bad as he makes himself to be."

Danny snorted, "Really? 'Cuz I couldn't tell with all the smiles and fun times goin' on with that guy." He quirked a brow and jabbed a thumb in the direction Snape had left from, "I don't think I've ever seen anyone look more sour than him. I'd say he even gives _Vlad_ a run for his money, and that's saying something." Danny laughed dryly. "I wonder what crawled up his fancy robes and died." the ravenette muttered to himself.

"Yes, well, Professor Snape's mannerisms aside, I have to say your choice of questions are quite intriguing."

Danny shifted in his seat. "What, you mean you're not answering questions about ghosts 24/7? Because that actually sounds kind of refreshing, not having to deal with 'em all the time, at any given hour of the day."

"A bit of that, I suppose." Danny noticed that twinkle in the Headmaster's eyes again (what was up with that, anyway) as he responded. "Would you mind telling me exactly what this 'Ghost Zone' is?"

Shrugging nonchalantly, Danny replied, "If this castle's as haunted as you say it is, I'm honestly surprised you _haven't_ heard of it before. Are you really sure you haven't," the teen looked to Dumblefore with narrowed, dubious eyes, "and you're not just pulling my leg?"

"I give you my word."

Danny watched the old man, still skeptical, a few moments longer before he decided to continue.

"I always thought the name was kinda self explanatory, but the Ghost Zone is where ghosts come from. It's where they hangout and live or whatever, when they're not terrorizing humans or plotting world domination.

"I don't really know how to explain it… but I guess the best way to put it, is that the Ghost Zone is sort of like an alternate dimension to ours, where the dead reside or whatever? Kind of like a mirror world, but with a lot more green and floaty stuff everywhere."

"Fascinating." Dumbledore responded, which caused Danny to furrow his brows at the old man. This really was the first time the old fart had heard of the Ghost Zone, wasn't it? His unbridled curiosity was too real, too sincere, for Danny to believe the guy was trying to pull the wool over his eyes. "I've never heard of ghosts doing such things." the Headmaster mused aloud, "There is Peeves, the poltergeist, who likes to play tricks on the students, but I have never once heard of ghosts committing such actions. World domination, you say? Very curious indeed…"

Danny shot the man an incredulous look and thought to himself, _just what kind of ghosts d'they have here? From the sounds of it, I wouldn't mind trading them in for the ones back home…_

"This 'Ghost Zone' you speak of," Dumbledore continued, "it rather reminds me of the veil."

"The veil?" Danny questioned as he frowned. "What's that supposed to be?"

"It's a barrier of sorts; the gateway to the land of the dead, one could say."

That caught Danny's attention. It sure sounded like a portal to him, but if it wasn't? Well, then Jack Fenton didn't have an unhealthy obsession with fudge and ham and Vlad didn't have a borderline stalker obsession with his mom. Danny bit back a snort at his thoughts and refocused on the conversation at hand.

"So ghosts use it to travel between the two worlds, the living and the dead?"

"No," Dumbledore replied with a shake of his head, "I am afraid it does not work like that, Danny. Once one crosses through the veil, there is no coming back."

Danny deflated. The 'veil' sure sounded like a portal, just not the kind he was looking for. The way the Headmaster had put it, there was no guarantee it would take him to the Ghost Zone. And if it only promised a one way trip, Danny wasn't sure he was willing to take the risk to find out exactly where it did lead.

Danny sank into his seat with a heavy sigh, defeated. _Sounds like I really won't have much of a choice but to find one myself_.

"You speak of ghost a lot," the Headmaster remarked, pulling Danny from his gloomy thoughts, "as if you deal with them on a common basis, and yet you seemed surprised to learn that Severus and I are wizards. Would you mind enlightening me as to why?"

_Ah_, Danny thought to himself with a sigh, _I guess I really will have to talk about that after all_.

"Well, Dumbledore, sir… if I'm being perfectly honest," he paused to lick his lips, "I've never dealt with magical people before; never heard of 'em really existing outside of stories." He admitted as he wrung his hands together. "The closest thing I could probably relate to a wizard would be Freakshow, but I'm pretty sure he was just a plain ol' human who happened to have access to certain things and information a typical person doesn't."

"A muggle, then…" Danny heard Dumbledore mutter. He cocked a brow.

"A what?"

"A muggle," The Headmaster repeated, as if the word itself served as explanation enough.

"…and just what the heck's a Muggle?" Obviously that was not the case for Danny.

"It is a term the wizarding world uses to describe those without magic."

"O…kay." That… kind of made sense, the teen supposed.

"Though, that doesn't explain how you managed to enter the castle. A muggle shouldn't be able to enter, let alone _see_ Hogwarts."

Dumbledore then muttered something else to himself, quietly, most likely not intending for Danny to hear. Nonetheless, the ravenette managed to catch what had been said. He wasn't sure what a dementor was, but considering they were apparently on guard duty around the castle, Danny was pretty sure he didn't want to solve that mystery any time soon.

"Ah… about that," Danny began sheepishly, a hand rubbing against the back of his neck, "I didn't… exactly enter through the front door."

Danny watched as the old man's brows furrowed, a question clearly on the tip of his tongue, but before the Headmaster could voice whatever was eating at him, he suddenly stood up.

"A moment, if you wouldn't mind, Danny." the wizened man said before brushing passed the teen and out the office, towards that odd staircase. He was gone a beat later, and Danny took the opportunity to give the room another once over. His eyes landed on the window behind Dumbledore's desk.

Danny had only just thought how dark it was outside before the Headmaster reappeared.

"Danny," he said, expression unreadable, "would you come with me?"

With a shrug, Danny plucked himself up from his seat, took a brief moment to stretch, and met Dumbledore at the top of the staircase. He wasn't about to turn down an opportunity to get out of that stuffy office.

* * *

_AN: So that's the chapter. Admittedly, not my favorite, but I managed to get what I wanted said and done... The ending didn't quite play out the way I had initially envisioned, but it's not too bad. I've honestly been super hesitant/nervous about this one, with how the interaction between Dumbledore and Danny went... orz Anyway, feel free to let me know what you thought; what you liked or didn't like; what you want to see happen in the future; what you think's going to happen; etc. . It's up to you~ _

_* To __**BadKristy13:**__ As AU as a fanfiction can get, I suppose, but nothing major. This will mostly be canon in regards to DP. I will admit that headcanons might pop up here and there, though. HP stuff will be a mix between the movies and books. And no, no bashing._

_* To __**RandomCitizen:**__ I don't have any plans on bashing characters, so no worries there. I honestly don't dislike or hate too many of the HP characters and besides, I try not to let my personal bias affect my writing. This story is primarily written from Danny's point of view, so any hate you're seeing is Danny's interpretation of the people around him. In regards to all of your other questions: I guess you'll just have to wait and find out, now won't you? ;9_

_On the topic of AU, I should probably say this now, if I haven't already, but there's no PP with this story. In case anyone was wondering/planned on asking._

_Thank you for reading! c:_


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